Example of a bad press release

In this article, I break down some of the flaws I’ve noticed in press releases this year.

EXAMPLE PRESS RELEASE

High schoolers grow company from $100,000 to $15,000,000 in 3 years

Everyone dreams of hitting the jackpot straight out of high school, but for X-man and Xena this dream was a reality. This high-school power couple from Sydney now sits at the cusp of a $15 million electronics empire, better known as BoogieBoogieWoo (BBW).

In just three years, X-man and Xena has grown BBW into a whopping $14.2 million company. Established in 2000 by the dynamic entrepreneurial duo, the company is now a multi-million electronics empire, selling products to 72 countries across the world.

After leaving their jobs at a local Coles store in Sydney’s inner west, it took less than five years for X-man and Xena to build BBW from $300,000 to $14.2 million. They spent six months setting up an international wholesaling division. It was during this time that they were able to strengthen their knowledge of the industry and prepare for the development of their own business.

The company currently has over 30 employees and recently released the very popular uPhone – a unique smartphone that brings all the pizzazz that you see in an iPhone, but for half the cost. BBW has been compounding 25% month on month since January 2013 and currently appointing distributors worldwide to increase global sales.

“With technology evolving at an exponential rate, we need to ensure that BoogieBoogieWoo is continuously improving its business processes and partnerships to bring its customers cutting-edge technology at a significantly reduced price,” says X-man.

Lessons X-man and Xena has learned through their short journey to success is:

So, the company was launched in 2000, and the company grew from $100,000 to $15 million in 3 years? But the year 2000 was…like…13 years ago? I remember listening to the Thong Song by Sisqo, and thinking that it was about foot attire. If you mean, the company grew from $100,000 to $15 million from 2010 to now, please specify. And, what were you doing for the first decade since launching the company?

Wait, so if it’s actually $14.2 million, why say $15 million? Doesn’t mathematical laws indicate numbers should be rounded off to the nearest whole number? In which case, it would be ‘over $14 million’, not $15 million.

Oh and did you mean $14.2 million annual turnover? Or the company is now worth $14.2 million after 13 years in operation?

High schoolers? So you started the company soon after high school (in 2000), and now it’s 2014. So you’re at least in your early 30s right? Why are you calling yourself ‘high schoolers’? Unless you’re still in high school, in which case, fair enough. It’s never too late to finish high school.

Now the uPhone. So it’s exactly like the iPhone but with different branding? Where’s the ‘innovative’ aspect of it? How are you able to offer the iPhone imitation at half price?

The quote adds absolutely nothing to the story. How are you improving your business processes? What strategic partnerships have you established to grow the company?

And thank you for topping it all off with a lesson in common sense. Your top five tips may have been handy back in the day, but I think entrepreneurs know the importance of being passionate.

You’ve portrayed your company as the Harvey Norman of imitation products.

In all seriousness, while this press release is fake, it is based on a real one I received not long ago. The biggest problem with it is unclear facts, and it’s arguably deceptive. I received no response after asking for clarification. While I admit that the title made me read the release, the inaccuracies became obvious almost immediately.